Johnson Rocks Sharon

By Freelance | 7/7/2003 12:00 AM

Despite an inconsistent, rough surface there was multi-line, three- and four-wide racing all night to entertain a large crowd at Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio, on July 5, and the hero of the night was last year's Rookie of the Year, Jake Johnson (pictured).

The Moroney's Harley-Davidson/1-800FASTHOG-backed rider took full advantage of a restart, stalking the leader, Joe Kopp, until the halfway point. Johnson took over on lap 12 and slowly pulled to almost a two-second lead at the finish.

"I don't know what to think, but it really feels good to get that first big bike win," Johnson said.

As Johnson pulled clear, the race for second heated up even more. It was a battle between Kopp and King that went down to the last turn, with both making mistakes. Kopp made his first, allowing King to get by, but King returned the favor by bobbling himself, allowing Kopp back around him to secure the runner-up spot. Almost undetected, Johnson's Moroney's teammate, Paul Lynch, had the best race of his career, finishing fourth.